A teenager who stabbed a man to death in front of shoppers and children using a knife he had bought for self-protection has been jailed for 13 years.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said the teenager, who cannot be named because he was a minor when he first came before the courts, murdered Aaron Keating, 43, as an "angry aggressive youth acting in a drug rage".
Although he pleaded guilty to murder, the youth is not subject to a mandatory life sentence due to his age at the time of the offence.
Mr Justice McDermott said he had to take into account the defendant's age, lack of maturity and the need to rehabilitate young offenders.
Therefore he sentenced the defendant to 15 years with the final two years suspended for two years on a number of conditions.
The now-19 year-old was one month short of his 18th birthday when he murdered Mr Keating on 13 June 2023 at Main Street, Ongar, Dublin 15.
'Terrifying spectacle'
Mr Justice McDermott said it had been a sunny Tuesday afternoon when the defendant and a group of youths were hanging around Main Street smoking cannabis.
Mr Keating, who had mental health difficulties all his life, was a frequent visitor to the area and was known to all the youths.
CCTV footage showed an altercation between Mr Keating and the defendant which prompted the youth to run to a nearby stairwell where he had stashed a knife for self-protection.
He returned within 90 seconds of the first altercation and pursued Mr Keating across the road despite one of his friends telling him to stop.
The defendant attempted to stab Mr Keating but missed before he "made another lunge", the judge said, causing the fatal wound to the abdomen.
A pathologist found the cause of death to be haemorrhage and shock due to the single stab wound.
Mr Justice McDermott noted that the defendant attacked his victim openly, in a public place, presenting a "terrifying spectacle" to shoppers, including women and children.
The defendant fled the scene, disposed of the knife and made no attempt to assist the dying man, the judge said.
Mr Keating was loved by his family, the judge said, and is deeply missed. His life was "needlessly and violently taken", he said.
The judge said that the defendant had done well in primary school but by the age of 12, he began regularly using drugs. He had seen numerous doctors and therapists over the years but continued to abuse drugs.
Drug use 'a dominating role' in murder
He said drug use had "a dominating role" in the murder and in causing a disintegration in the youth's education.
Drug rehabilitation, he said, will be a factor in efforts to prevent the teenager reoffending.
The defendant is currently considered at a high risk of reoffending if he were returned to a community setting within 12 months.
Mr Justice McDermott set a headline sentence of 25 years but reduced that to 21 to account for the defendant's age.
He further reduced the sentence to 15 years after considering mitigating factors including the teenager's guilty plea and his "early and consistent expression of remorse, which appears to be genuine and comprehensive".
When sentencing children, the Supreme Court has found that it is preferable to suspend part of the sentence to encourage rehabilitation.
Mr Justice McDermott suspended the final two years on condition that the defendant keep the peace for two years after release, address his addiction needs with the probation services and accept any treatment recommended.
He must also participate in a drug rehabilitation programme and any mental health services recommended by the probation services.
